Tuesday December 14, 2004 12:15 pm

EA Reaches Exclusive NFL Licensing Agreement

Competition is usually healthy for the videogame industry, but this is more like annihilation. In a shocker of an agreement, EA has gained exclusive rights for all NFL teams, stadiums, and players. The biggest casualty, at least in my eyes, is Sega, as this means no more ESPN, at least for the next five years. The deal covers consoles, PC, and handheld systems, as well as console online features. You can blame the NFL, since they were the ones that decided to have a bid for their exclusivity. The deal does not affect other games available on the Internet or on wireless devices including cell phones. I'm guessing this came about because of the way Midway wanted to use the license to portray their Blitz game series in a more controversial light.